. >> reporter: jeff, democratic aides tell cbs news that senate majority leader harry reid is ready to introduce legislation that would avert the fiscal cliff, but only if he gets assurances from republican leaders that they won't try to block it. that standoff is creating some tension on capitol hill that spilled on to the senate floor today. >> the senate will come to order. >> reporter: in the normally genteel senate, leader reid unleashed a tirade today about house speaker john boehner, accusing him of running a dictatorship in the house. >> speaker boehner is not willing to negotiate. we have not heard a word from leader mcconnell. nothing is happening. >> reporter: mitch mcconnell, the top republican in the senate, said it's reid who hasn't reached out for weeks. >> the phone never rang. and so now here we are, five days from the new year, and we might finally start talking. >> reporter: but talking about what? so far, reid has not introduced the scaled-down bill he was reportedly working on over the christmas holiday. sources say that bill would extend the bush-era tax cuts for